My little Nephew managed to catch this on a Child's Fishing Pole with 6 pound line/test, and a jig with a mealworm on it. Measured out at about 37.5 inches.
it is a hybrid, great catch for the little guy.
there are certain organizations that track these fish as well as pike. there are certain areas where pike have never been recorded, yet here and there someone will catch a tiger muskie.
pike will spawn in relatively same areas as muskie, but a few weeks before the muskie. this gives the pike fry a chance to develop sooner and possibly overtake the muskie population.
both are incredible fish to catch.
That is 100% a hybrid. That is a Tiger Muskie. Its a Northern Pike and Muskellunge mix that different state's Division of Wildlife Department's stock. I interned with the Ohio EPA this summer and dealt quite a bit with the Ohio Division of Natural Resources quite a bit this summer. Particularly their Division of Wildlife. They have a huge program to stock Tiger Muskie in some Northeast Ohio rivers. That is a Tiger Muskie 100%.
By the way awesome catch! I'm sure it gave one heck of a fight!
They actually introduced paddle fish into the dam, they have quadrupled in population since. They did this due to the shrinkage of numbers in the mississippi and great lakes regions. I have yet to snag one, but I've seen one so far. They are awesome fish! We have pretty good fishing up here. I need to go out more...stupid work.